Independent Presidential Candidates 2024

The United States is set to hold its 60th presidential election on November 5, 2024. As of September 2024, there are four major candidates in the race: Kamala Harris (Democrat), Donald Trump (Republican), Jill Stein (Green Party), and Chase Oliver (Libertarian). These candidates have been recognized based on their ballot access, fundraising efforts, and media attention. Harris secured the Democratic nomination through a virtual roll call in early August 2024, while Trump was officially nominated at the Republican National Convention in mid-July 2024. This election will be the first following the 2020 redistricting, impacting the allocation of electoral college votes. The elected president will take office on January 20, 2025.

Kamala Harris  (Democrat)

Kamala Harris on the Campaign Trail
The Vice President has been actively campaigning while President Biden self-isolates with COVID-19. Harris has taken the opportunity to address key issues, including abortion rights, and to position herself as a strong contender. Her speeches often highlight the contrast between Biden and former President Donald Trump, emphasizing unity and democratic values.

Harris’s Political Acumen
Despite the challenges, Harris’s supporters point to her political achievements. She has won statewide elections three times in California, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex political landscapes. Her resilience and determination have been key to her success, and her biographer notes that underestimating Harris could be a significant mistake.

The Implications of Harris’s Potential Candidacy
If President Biden were to exit the race, Harris would likely take the lead as the Democratic candidate. However, this scenario raises questions about her ability to unite the party and win against formidable opponents. The decision could have far-reaching implications for the Democratic Party and the 2024 election.

Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign 2024: A Vision for America’s Future
As a student and a proud Georgian, the promises made by Vice President Kamala Harris fill me with hope and joy. Harris’s commitment to our future resonates deeply with me, especially as an older sister concerned about the bright future of my two younger brothers. Vice President Harris is fighting to ensure that young Americans across the country can achieve the American dream, a dream she has championed throughout her career.

Harris’s Commitment to Hardworking Americans
Kamala Harris has spent her entire career advocating for hardworking Americans, much like the community that raised me here in Savannah. She has tirelessly fought to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, secure historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and deliver nearly $170 billion in student debt relief, including $6.8 billion right here in Georgia. Her efforts extend beyond financial relief; she has also fought for our freedoms to make our own reproductive healthcare decisions.

A Promising Future Under Harris’s Leadership
As president, Kamala Harris will continue to fight for young people, ensuring they can jumpstart their American dream through affordable and accessible home ownership. She will work tirelessly to make sure every American, including those in Savannah and across Georgia, has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead.

The Fight for America’s Future

Kamala Harris is no stranger to tough fights. From her time as Attorney General to her tenure as Vice President, she has always fought for the people. Whether it’s standing up for women and children, taking on big banks, or advocating for veterans and students, Harris has consistently fought for justice and fairness. Now, as she runs for president, she is ready to continue this fight for America’s future.

Key Areas of Focus in Harris’s Campaign

• Affordable Childcare and Healthcare: Harris is committed to expanding Medicaid in Georgia, ensuring that people can access healthcare without going into medical debt.
• Opportunity Economy: Harris will build an economy where every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business, and build wealth.
• Cost of Living: As president, Harris will tackle price gouging and take on big pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs and insulin for all Americans.
• Support for Families: Harris plans to provide a $6,000 tax cut to families during the first year of their child’s life, helping them cover essential costs.

Donald Trump (Republican)

Under Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States aims to regain global respect and power, with a focus on securing borders, economic growth, and restoring law and order. Announcing his 2024 presidential bid on November 15, 2022, Trump won the Republican nomination and chose Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. First elected in 2016, Trump’s administration was marked by major policy changes including the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, tax reforms, and the establishment of the Space Force. Despite losing the 2020 election, Trump positions his 2024 campaign as a comeback against the Biden administration’s perceived failures.

Trump in the News:

• August 29, 2024: Trump discussed the economy in Potterville, Michigan, and participated in a town hall in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with Tulsi Gabbard.
• August 26, 2024: Spoke at the National Guard Association’s conference in Detroit and campaigned in Falls Church, Virginia.
• August 23, 2024: Hosted events in Las Vegas and Glendale. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the race and endorsed Trump.
• August 22, 2024: Held a campaign event at the U.S.-Mexico border in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
• August 21, 2024: Hosted a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Biography:

Donald Trump was born in Queens, New York, in 1946. He studied at Fordham University and later graduated from the Wharton School of Finance with a B.S. in economics in 1968. After taking over his family business in 1971, he renamed it the Trump Organization. Trump pursued various business ventures and was known for hosting “The Apprentice” from 2004 to 2015.

He initially ran for president as a Reform Party candidate in 1999 but withdrew in 2000. After multiple party affiliations, he registered as a Republican in 2012. Trump declared his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election in June 2015, won the Republican nomination, and was elected the 45th U.S. president on November 8, 2016. He served from January 20, 2017, but was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Jill Stein (Green Party)

Jill Ellen Stein, born on May 14, 1950, is an American physician, activist, and politician. She is the Green Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, having previously run in 2012 and 2016. In 2012, Jill Stein received 469,015 votes (0.36% of the popular vote), and in 2016, she garnered 1.45 million votes (1.07% of the popular vote). Stein, a Harvard graduate, began her activist career in the 1990s, focusing on environmental health and campaign finance reform. Her 2024 campaign centers on anti-war policies, universal healthcare, free public education, an ecosocialist “real Green New Deal,” and strong worker protections.

“Jill Stein: Physician Turned Green Party Advocate”
Jill Stein, born in Chicago and raised in Highland Park, Illinois, is an American physician, activist, and politician. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1973 and Harvard Medical School in 1979. Stein practiced internal medicine in the Boston area for 25 years and served as an instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her early activism focused on environmental health, leading to her involvement in political activism, including coauthoring reports on toxic threats and advocating for campaign finance reform. She eventually joined the Green Party after leaving the Democratic Party.

“Jill Stein Launches 2024 Presidential Bid with Green New Deal Focus”

Jill Stein, previously Cornel West’s campaign manager, announced her third presidential bid on November 9, 2023, after West shifted to an independent run. Stein’s platform focuses on a “pro-worker, anti-war, climate emergency agenda,” including an ecosocialist Green New Deal, Universal Healthcare, and a strong stance against genocide. She criticizes U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and advocates for social justice reforms, including reparations, Indigenous sovereignty, and immigrant rights. Stein also calls for significant military spending cuts to fund job creation within her Green New Deal framework.

Economic Policy

• Economic Bill of Rights: Advocates for guaranteed access to living-wage jobs, healthcare, education, and housing.
• Student Debt: Supports abolishing student debt using quantitative easing.
• Minimum Wage: Proposes a $25 minimum wage and enhanced support for unions.
• Public Housing: Supports a “Homes Guarantee,” universal rent control, and expanded public housing initiatives.
• Progressive Taxation: Targets upper-income individuals and large corporations for increased taxes.

Labor Rights

• Employment: Supports guaranteed employment and nationalization of industries.
• Unemployment: Criticized official unemployment rates, suggesting they underreport the true figures.

Infrastructure and Environment

• Renewable Energy: Supports sustainable infrastructure and aims for 100% clean renewable energy by 2035.
• Fracking: Calls for a national ban on fracking.
• Nuclear Power: Opposes nuclear energy, considering it dangerous and expensive.
• Climate Change: Views it as a national emergency and supports a more aggressive climate mobilization than the Paris Agreement.

Financial Reform

• Wall Street Bailout: Criticizes it as a waste and opposes raising the debt ceiling, preferring tax hikes on the wealthy and military cuts.
• Financial Transactions Tax: Supports a 0.5% tax on stock and bond transactions and higher estate taxes.
• Banking Regulation: Calls for nationalizing the Federal Reserve and creating publicly owned banks.

Education

• Public Education: Advocates for free higher public education and opposes charter schools and the Common Core.
• Technology: Criticizes the use of screens in early education and Wi-Fi in schools.

Health

• Medicare for All: Supports replacing the Affordable Care Act with a single-payer system.
• GMOs: Advocates for labeling GMOs, a moratorium on new GMOs, and phasing out existing ones unless proven safe.

Foreign Policy

• Non-Interventionism: Opposes U.S. military interventions and aims to cut military spending by 50%.
• Israel and Palestine: Criticizes U.S. support for Israeli policies and advocates for suspending aid to Israel until it complies with international law.
• Russia and Ukraine: Criticizes NATO’s eastward expansion and has a complex stance on Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Miscellaneous

• Immigration: Supports a welcoming path to citizenship.
• Brexit: Initially supported Brexit but later aligned more with staying in the EU while advocating for reforms.
• Cuba: Praised Fidel Castro posthumously for his role in the struggle against imperialism.
• Vaccines: Initially ambiguous but later supported the safety of vaccines, criticizing corporate influence on regulatory bodies.

Stein’s platform is characterized by a strong emphasis on progressive economic and environmental policies, a critical stance on military and foreign interventions, and a focus on systemic reform in both domestic and international arenas.

Chase Oliver (Libertarian)

Chase Russell Oliver: A Brief Overview
Chase Russell Oliver (born August 16, 1985) is an American political activist and the Libertarian Party’s nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Previously, Oliver ran for the U.S. Senate from Georgia in 2022 and for Georgia’s 5th congressional district in a special election in 2020. Known as a “pro-gun, pro-police reform, pro-choice Libertarian,” he has been described as “armed and gay” by The Gazette. In the 2022 Georgia Senate race, Oliver garnered over 2% of the vote and was labeled a spoiler candidate by some, with his presence contributing to a runoff between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Oliver spent 13 years working in the restaurant industry before transitioning into political activism.

Chase Oliver’s Political Career: A Snapshot

Early Political Involvement:

• Supported Barack Obama in 2008 but left due to the continued Iraq War.
• Joined the Libertarian Party in 2010 after connecting with members at an Atlanta Pride Festival.

2020 U.S. House Campaign:

• Ran as the Libertarian nominee for Georgia’s 5th congressional district special election in 2020.
• Received 2% of the vote, eliminated during the blanket primary.

2022 U.S. Senate Campaign:

• Libertarian nominee for Georgia’s U.S. Senate election in 2022.
• Faced Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
• Became Georgia’s first openly gay Senate candidate.
• Participated in a debate against Warnock; Walker did not attend.
• Earned over 2% of the popular vote, forcing a runoff.
• Declined to endorse either candidate in the runoff.
• Dubbed “the most influential Libertarian of the year” by Rolling Stone.

2024 Presidential Campaign:

• Announced presidential exploratory committee on December 2, 2022.
• Officially declared candidacy on April 4, 2023.
• Campaigned in Iowa, the first third-party candidate to speak at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox.
• Won Oklahoma’s Libertarian primary with 61% of the vote on Super Tuesday.
• Secured Libertarian nomination on the seventh ballot at the National Convention, defeating Michael Rectenwald.
• John Stossel supported Oliver over Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Chase Oliver: Political Positions and Personal Beliefs

Chase Oliver is a member of the traditional wing of the Libertarian Party and is affiliated with the Classical Liberal Caucus. He is a pro-choice advocate who supports the Hyde Amendment and believes in the nationwide legalization of abortion. On climate change, Oliver endorses free-market solutions, arguing that businesses, when left unregulated, will develop technologies to replace carbon-based fuels. A strong proponent of electoral reform, he advocates for ranked-choice voting, believing it would prevent costly run-offs and ensure that elected candidates have majority support.

In foreign affairs, Oliver opposes American military aid to Israel and Ukraine, advocating for the closure of American military bases overseas. He is a staunch supporter of gun rights and opposes bans on bump stocks, famously asserting that “armed gays are harder to oppress.” Oliver is also a vocal critic of the war on drugs, supporting the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of all drugs.

Oliver’s views on criminal justice reform include ending qualified immunity for law enforcement, abolishing the death penalty, and eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing. He supports an “Ellis Island-style” immigration system and advocates for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In education, Oliver calls for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education, promoting state-level choice in education, and opposes federal student loan programs.

Regarding homelessness, he supports removing barriers that prevent people and organizations from aiding the homeless. His economic views include support for free trade, opposition to tariffs, and advocating for a balanced federal budget. Oliver is also a strong defender of privacy and civil liberties, supporting the abolition of the TSA and the repeal of the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act.

On LGBT issues, Oliver opposes government interference in transgender healthcare decisions while being against gender-affirming surgery for those under 18. He also believes that decisions about transgender participation in sports should be left to individual leagues. Oliver has contributed to discussions on the role of third parties in democracy, emphasizing the strategic importance of the Libertarian Party.Personally, Oliver is single, lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, and holds a deep faith in the gospel.

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